Furnace and regenerator construction therefor



June 5, 1934. c F, RYAN FURNACE AND REGENERATOR CONSTRUCTION THEREFORFiled Jan. 5. 1953 6%0 Ze y w.

flzza7izeys Wii% 955 w 52% Patented June 5, 1934 v UNITED STATES FURNACEAND aaomaa'roa CONSTRUCTION mam-on Charles F. Byan, Hartford-Empire Comcorporation of Hartford, Conn., assignor to pany, Hartford, Com, aDelaware Application January 5,1933, Serial No. 650,217 7 Claims. (01.263-15)- This invention relates to regenerator furnaces for hightemperature work and also to regenerator constructions for use withfurnaces of this type. More particularly the invention relates to thattype of regenerator furnace in which the regenerators are constructed inwhole, or in part, above at least a portion of the roof arch of thefurnace.

Among-the objects of the invention is to provide a regenerator includinga plurality of courses of checker bricks, each course of which is builtin the form of an arch so that each course may be supportedindependently of the other courses.

A further object of the invention is to provide a regeneratorparticularly, though not necessa rily, for use above the roof arch of afurnace wherein the checker brick are in the form of arches, or partarches, and wherein the arches or part arches have spaces therebetween,and in which the arches are struck on the arcs of circles all having acommon center. This construction is particularly useful in a topregenerator furnace inasmuch as r the arrangement of the arches, allstruck about a common center,- provides for spaces of uniform widthbetween the several arches of checker bricks and the use of thearch-like arrangement for the bricks provides for the support of theweight load of the checker bricks from the lateral walls, which may beexternally supported as by the usual buck stays.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a reading of the following specification and appendedclaims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical transverse section of a furnace formaking glass embodying y invention, including regenerators built aboveat least apart of the arched crown thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and vFig. 3 is a fragmentary view in section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive,there is illustrated a furnace for melting glass in conjunction withwhich my invention has been incorporated. As shown. the furnace issupported upon a suitable floor or base 1 on whichare mounted aplurality of I piers 2 which may be of masonry. These piers 50 carrysubstantially longitudinally extending I- beams 3 which supporttransverse beamsa, which in turn carry the weight load of the glass-comtainlng basin of the furnace. This basin is formed with a bottom 5 andside walls 6 and 7. Outside the bottom and walls of the glass-cone .bedisposed thereunder. The

I stack and a source of taining basin there is illustrated a layer 8 ofheat insulating material which may be provided if desired. The usualbuck stays 9 are provided for affording lateral support to the glasscontaining basin of the furnace and also for supporting other portionsthereof, hereinafter to be described. The lateral walls of the glasscontaining basin are supported from the buck stays through compressionmembers 10. The buck stays may be fastened together in the usual mannerby the tie rods 11 adjacent to their upper and .lower ends. The buckstays 9 are adapted directly to support longitudinally extending anglemembers 12 which may be secured thereto in any desired manner, theseangle members supporting skew blocks 13 between which the roof arch 14is sprung.

Means are provided for supplying heat to the furnace for carrying on thedesired operations, in this instance in melting glass making materialsand refining the glass. As shown in the accompanying drawing, such meansincludeburners 15 which are adapted to direct fuelinto the flame space16above the bath of molten glass 17 in the furnace through burner openings18.

These burner openings are as shown formed in suitable burner blocks 19which may be set into suitable apertures in the skew blocks 13, or mayparticular construction of the portions of the furnace thus fardescribed form, however, no necessary part of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of regenerators 20 and 21 are disposed aboveat least a portion of the roof arch 14 of the furnace and communicatewith the flame space 16 through ports 22 and 23 respectively. Outletports 24 and 25 are provided for the pair of regenerators 20 and 21respectively and may communicate with a suitable air in any usual ordesired manner through any suitable reversing valve mechanism (notshown). The regenerators 20 and 21 are built up within enclosing walls,including side walls 26 and 27 which are supported by the angle members12 directly from the buck stays 9. Thejregenerators are divided by anintermediate wall 28 which is built up above the roof arch at thehighest portion thereof and which extends substantially parallel to thisarch along the high part above the keystones of the arch. Theregenerator chambers are closed at the top by. arches 29 and 30respectively.

Instead of disposing the checker bricks in the a regenerators in theusual manner, I prefer to arrange these bricks in a plurality of halfarches' 11o as shown, each half arch in one regenerator being opposite asimilar half arch in the'other, so that the two half arches, togetherwith a portion of the intermediate 'wall 28, form a complete arch sprungbetween suitable skew blocks built into the side walls 26 and 2'7. Inthis way I'am enabled to support substantially all the weight of thechecker bricks directly from the side walls which Y are supporteddirectly from the buck stays 9 through the structural angles 12 as aboveset forth. The disposition of the checker bricks in each arch is-bestseen by a comparison of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and provides for a plurality ofspacesor gas passages between the bricks through which the products ofcombustion may pass upwardly or the air pass downwardly in passingthrough the regenerators. I have shown only a portion of the regeneratorincluding four arches 31 of checker bricks supported in this mannerbetween skew blocks 32, which are built into side walls 26 and 27. Thecenter wall 28 may be considered as built of the keystones of theseveral arches of checker bricks,

so that substantially the whole weight of this wall may be supportedfrom the side walls 26 and 2'7. I preferably arrange the several arches31 on the arcs of circles, all of which have a .common center, thiscenter being the' same as that of the roof arch 14. Thus the spacesbetween the several arches 31 will be uniform in height from the side tothe center.

Furthermore, it is desirable in regenerator con struction that there beas high a heat transfer coeflicient as possible between the gasespassing through the regenerator and the checker bricks,.

so as to have the maximum heat transfer for a given regenerator. greatextent by providing tortuous passages for the gases through theregenerator, which will porvide a high degree of turbulence to the gasesand thus cause an increase in the heat transfer coefiicient. As shown,the openings through any one arch portion are respectively oppositechecker bricks in the adjacent arch portions both above and below. andare-out ,of alignment with the openings in such adjacent arch portions.For example the openings 33 seen in Figs. 1 and 3 will be respectivelyopposite checker bricks 34 in the arch portion immediately above andrespectively opposite checker bricks 35 in the arch portion immediatelybelow.

I have designed a regenerator construction in which "there willnecessarily be a high degree of turbulence of the gases passingtherethrough due to the peculiar and novel arrangement of,

the checker bricks, and I have further provided for the independentsupport oi. each of the several coursesof checker bricks in theregenerator by forming each of these courses as an arch or arch portion.1

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the above disclosedembodiments of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Ido not wish to be limited, therefore. except by the scope of theappendedclaims. which are to, be construed as broadly as the. state 'ofthe prior art permits.

I claim:

1. A regenerator, comprising a plurality of courses of checker bricks.each course being supported independently of the others. the checkerbricks beingso disposed and arranged in the several courses that theopenings between the checker bricks of any one course are in alignmentwith checker bricks of the adjacent courses in each direction and out ofalignment with the openings This may be achieved to a between thechecker bricks of such adjacent courses.

2. A regenerator, comprising a plurality of vertically spaced courses ofchecker bricks, each course being formed as at least a part ofan archand being supported as an arch independently of the'other courses, thechecker bricks being so disposed and arranged in each of .the severalcourses 1 that the openings between the checker bricks in any one courseare in alignment with checker bricks of the adjacent courses above andbelow the one in question and out of alignment with the openings betweenthe checker bricksof such adjacent courses.

3. A regenerator, comprising a plurality of courses of checker bricks soconstructed and arranged as to provide for the passage of gaseous mediathrough the courses between the top and bottom of the regenerator, eachcourse being formed as at least a part of an arch and being supported asan arch independently of the other courses. 1

4. A- regenerator, comprising a plurality of vertically spaced coursesof checker bricks, each course being formed-as at least a part of anarch and being supported as an arch independently of the other courses,all the arched courses of'bricks being formed as arcs of circles havinga common center, whereby each of the spaces intermediate the severalcourses of checker bricks is uniform in width from one side to the otherthereof.

5. A furnace for high temperature operations, comprising lateral wallsand an arched crown defining a; flame space, a regenerator disposedabove said flame space and above at least a part of said arched crown, apassage for conducting gaseous media between said flame space and thelower portion of said regenerator, a. passage leading to the upperportion of said regenerator for conducting gaseous media to and from theregenerator and a pluralityof courses of checker bricks regenerator andhaving passages therethroughproviding for the flow of gaseous mediabetween the upper and lower portions of the regenerator, each coursebeing formed as at least a part of an arch and being supported as anarch independently of the other courses, whereby the weight load of saidchecker bricks may be supported predominantly through the lateral sidewalls and said arched-crown not be subjected to the major .portionofsuch weight load.

6 A furnace for high temperature operation, comprising lateral walls andan arched crown defining a flame space, a pair of regenerators disposedabove said arched crown and having a common dividing wall therebetweenabove substantiallythe center of said arched crown and extending alongthe high portion thereof, a pluof said pair of regenerators. each ofsaid courses being formed assubstantially half an arch and beingopposite a similar half arch of checker brick in the other of said pairof regenerators,

said common dividing wall being arranged in the positiono5 checkerbricks, whereby the weightload of the checker bricks may be supportedpredominantly by the lateral outer walls of the regenerators and saidarched crown will not be subjected to a. mador proportion of such weightload.

'7. Akfurnace for melting glass, comprising a glass containing basinincluding a bottom and side walls for confining a bath of molten glass,lateral wall portions and an arched crown dethe keystones of the severalarches of of the spaces between the several half arches will be uniformin width from side to side thereof, and the checker bricks making upeach of said half arches being so disposed and arranged that theopenings through any one half arch will be in alignment with a checkerbrick in the half arch immediately above and below the one in questionand will be out of alignment with the openings in such half archesimmediately above and below the one in question.

CHARLES F. RYAN.

